Chapter 5

When I arose before dawn, the only thing apparent was that nothing had altered my determination. Now I had two objectives: to find Kantos Kan, and to eliminate the woman who had threatened my family. All the better that they can be found in the same location, I thought, as I searched for my shears.

The floor was carpeted with clouds of shorn red hair and I had just wrapped a towel around my wet head when Lara walked in.

"Cara!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed at the sight. "What have you done?"

I turned to face her. "Give your greeting to Barsoom's newest female panthan," I said, snatching the towel away to reveal a shoulder length bob of straight black hair.

She sat abruptly. "So that's how you're going to do it – join the Sisterhood."

Since that was self-evident, I only said, "Will you help me dye my skin?"

However reluctant she might have been Lara made a thorough job of it, all the while humming a melody I couldn't quite identify. As I stood before a mirror inspecting my naked body – now indistinguishable from that of a native-born Barsoomian woman – I had the oddest notion that my own identity had been obliterated.

"I'll need a name," I said feeling disconnected from reality.

"It should be something similar to your own." She thought for a moment. "Dara, Fara, Mara, Sara . . ."

I laughed. "How very English!"

She sniffed. "Helium doesn't have an alphabet."

"Mm," I said, considering. "Dara's as good as any."

And Dara I became, as I carried my pack surreptitiously to the roof hangar. Lara had distracted the guard with a trivial task so that he wouldn't see me. She would tell him after I left that I was going to visit Tara in Gathol.

I turned to her after tossing my bag into my flyer. "What have you told Carthan and Tarin – and Jack? They must have been aware of the commotion last night."

"I told them you had tripped and injured yourself. It did look as if you were holding one arm – even if it wasn't yours!" She shuddered. "God, Cara, I don't know how you remained so calm."

"Believe me, it only seemed that way. How will you explain my absence?"

She shrugged. "You wished to escape your suitors? You've done that often enough! And," she added, "as to Kantos Kan, they will no doubt conclude that he either became bored and returned to Helium, or ran off with you."

Ran off with me? I glared at her for a moment, then shook my head with a laugh. We hugged fiercely, realizing it could well be for the last time.

Lara said, "If you're not back in ten days, I'm bringing half the armies of Barsoom after you."

"Thirty days," I said.

"Twenty, then." She hugged me hard. "Oh, have a care, my dear. I want to see you again, preferably accompanied by your soul mate."

"Wh-who?" I said blankly.

She laughed and kissed me. "Kantos, silly. Bring him home safely."

I noticed he had graduated to first-name status.